Sorry it’s been so long since I last gave an update, the past few weeks have been busy, with the end of classroom instruction for me (Wes), and returning to flying orientation shifts.

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Yes, this is the tallest mountain in North America, Denali. Finally flew by it on a clear day! The pictures really can’t convey the awesomeness of this vista.

Julie has been settling into her position at the Alaska Native Medical Center, and is enjoying the work. It’s always a challenge adjusting to serving a new population and culture, but she excels at it. I haven’t brought a patient directly to her yet, but I have dropped off several times while she’s been at work. One of these days she’ll be taking patients from me just like at BMC!

The snow has definitely returned, and looks like it’s here to stay this time. We’ve had about three waves of storms, and about 5-6 inches total have fallen in the area. Temperatures have also fallen well below freezing, with a brief period of -3 deg. F this morning. Burr! But so far, we’ve both been able to keep warm. This month’s electric bill was a bit of a shocker, but we think we’ve found the culprit and made adjustments.

This past week, we found out we have a little escape artist on our hands. Phoebe discovered an open gate, and disappeared. (With the colder temps, we think the gate froze and expanded, and popped open.) Abject terror and a furious search ensued from her human parents. In the pre-dawn, extremely cold dark, I was sure a police officer would be stopping me for driving slowly through the neighborhood thinking I was a pervert or a burglar, but it didn’t happen. We were ecstatic to find Anchorage Animal Care and Control had corralled our little renegade, and kept her safe. Quite a few $$$ later, she was back at home. And the gates will be double-checked from now on.

So, the adventure continues. I’m looking for a good night to chase the northern lights, but picking a good clear night is turning out to be the biggest challenge. But I’ve seen some amazing displays while flying. It’s just too bad iPhone cameras don’t do night photos well. I have an app to help, but it’s difficult to dial in. But I’ll keep trying.

I still can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this job.

Where else in the world can I find the opportunity to see these sights?

–Wes